"...I see. So the purpose was to avenge His Highness Cabajid."
Daskar muttered thoughtfully from his sofa in the lord's manor office, where he had been listening to Rei and Vihera's report.
Naturally, his voice carried a bitter edge.
He had ample reason to be targeted for revenge. After all, he had conspired with Vihera and the Noble's Faction to intervene in the Bestia Empire's civil war the previous year. And he understood that Rei was the primary cause of Cabajid's death—the one who had contributed the most to the civil war and driven Cabajid to his doom.
Even so, he hadn't expected a vendetta to spark an incident of this magnitude—and above all...
"His Highness Cabajid had enough talent to lead, didn't he?"
"That's right. Many admired my brother. The achievements he amassed were significant as well," Vihera replied, handing her portion of the sandwich to Byune. Daskar nodded with a deeply reflective expression.
"So, in the end, most of the data, materials, and magic items that the alchemist left behind were destroyed?"
Rei nodded immediately under Daskar's gaze.
"Yes. There might still be a certain amount of documents and such remaining in the room underground at Paul's magic item shop, but... the truly important items were likely carried out by Zboz."
And ultimately destroyed in the shack's explosion.
Whether it was a precaution in case they lost, or whether there was some other intent behind it, Rei couldn't say for certain. But the fact remained that Zboz's precious research data and magic items had been destroyed—a great loss for Rei as well.
(Well, I was lucky just to get through that explosion unscathed. Or rather—can you really call bruises "unscathed"?)
Rei found himself idly wondering about this. The debris raining down from the explosion hadn't been able to cut or pierce him thanks to the Dragon Robe. But the impact transmitted through it was unavoidable. As a result, Rei had escaped direct injury but was bruised all over.
Even so, the pain had mostly faded after just one night's sleep—likely thanks to Rei's unique constitution. An ordinary person would have been groaning in pain for days.
"I've heard about that from Ranga. ...Now, I'm sorry to say this, but regarding the magic items and materials that Zboz had, it seems they'll need to be investigated on our end first before being handed over to you."
"That's only natural, isn't it?"
Daskar's expression showed a hint of surprise at Rei nodding so readily.
"Are you sure? I was certain you'd put up a bit more of a fight."
"Yes. The magic item Zboz used was quite dangerous in various ways. This time it was only Zboz, but if there's any remaining data, there's no guarantee someone else won't create similar magic items. It would be better to have countermeasures in place."
At Rei's words, Daskar let out a sigh of relief. He had thought it would probably be fine, but there had still been a faint concern that Rei might demand the prompt return of the magic items, materials, and data.
Daskar knew full well that Rei had a strong attachment to magic items. And there was no doubt that the ones Zboz left behind would pique his interest. If that had been the case, Daskar would have needed to negotiate persistently.
Given his position as Margrave Larcus, he could have taken forceful measures. But Daskar had no desire to resort to heavy-handed tactics against Rei, who was also a trusted ally.
...Besides, even if he tried to use force, Rei's pure combat strength exceeded his own. Furthermore, if he did something like that and put Rei at a disadvantage, it was obvious Rei would simply leave Gilm on Set. That would drastically reduce Gilm's military strength. And considering Set's presence in Gilm, mishandling the situation could potentially even provoke a riot.
(...Gilm relies quite heavily on Rei and Set, doesn't it?)
The thought crossed his mind. In reality, Rei and Set's presence in Gilm was not something to be trifled with. That Rei was willingly entrusting what could be called Zboz's legacy to them was, by that logic, extremely fortunate.
"Sorry about this. I appreciate it."
"Not at all. Despite how I look, I'm also attached to Gilm."
"Oh my, you actually say 'despite how I look' yourself."
Vihera, who had been listening to Rei and Daskar's conversation, offered this with a small smile. Whether she found the remark amusing, even Elena and Ara had smiles playing at the corners of their mouths.
But for Rei, who was being laughed at, those words were apparently displeasing. He reached for the sandwich on his plate with a slightly sulky air.
"Hehe."
Seeing Rei like that, Vihera smiled happily. It was clear she was enjoying the act of teasing the one she liked.
"Ahem. Anyway, you've been a great help with this matter. It's unfortunate that we couldn't capture the alchemist, but..."
Daskar's gaze shifted briefly toward Rei. Sensing that look, the sulking Rei was about to say something, but the moment he opened his mouth, Daskar spoke first.
"From what I've heard, capturing him alive was simply impossible."
"Yes. He was berserk without any consciousness to begin with."
"I've received the report. Apparently, he even tried to eat his own companions."
At Daskar's muttered words, the image of Dias—whose right arm had been bitten off—and Paul, whose head would have been bitten off if Rei hadn't intervened, flashed through Rei's mind.
It was true that Zboz had gone berserk, but in the end, he had seemingly gained new intelligence while still in that berserk state. Had they managed to capture him alive, he could have yielded all sorts of new discoveries.
But thinking back on that moment, Rei immediately dismissed the notion.
(Even if such an existence gained intelligence, it almost certainly wouldn't have turned out well. In that case, it's a good thing I was able to put him down... that's what I should say.)
The intelligence Zboz gained might have been the result of his grudge against Rei running out of control, and if that was the case, then it was all the more reason to be glad they hadn't captured him alive. Carelessly taking him alive would have surely led to some tragedy down the line—Rei was half-convinced of this by gut feeling alone.
"Zboz, was it? It's unfortunate that we couldn't capture him, but in exchange, we did manage to properly apprehend the other three. Paul in particular has been surprisingly cooperative with us."
"That man?"
To Rei, Paul was honestly someone whose thoughts he couldn't understand at all. He was a Bestia Empire agent who had survived the previous spy hunt without being caught. Given Paul's position, it wasn't hard to understand why he had cooperated with Zboz. But why was he now being cooperative with the very guards and knights who had captured him?
(It's definitely not simply a matter of weighing pros and cons and switching sides...)
Although Rei couldn't fathom what Paul was thinking, his cooperation was nonetheless beneficial for Gilm.
"What about the other two?"
At the question that slipped from Rei's mouth, Daskar's expression tightened for just a moment. It was a truly fleeting change—only someone familiar with Daskar or exceptionally perceptive would have caught it.
Rei had some history with Daskar and knew his temperament, which was why he caught the shift. Elena and Vihera were naturally sharp. Byune was a thief, and Ara, serving Elena, also possessed keen observational skills. As a result, nearly everyone present noticed that Daskar's expression had shifted ever so slightly—but no one pointed it out. Since Daskar, in his position as lord of Gilm, chose not to elaborate, they judged there must be an appropriate reason.
Daskar himself was aware he'd been caught, but he continued the conversation without any particular reaction.
(To think that a general who fled the Kingdom of Rejisea was in Gilm's slum district. Rumor had it he was caught up in a power struggle, and his departure was more of an exile than voluntary.)
While conversing with Rei and the others, Daskar thought about Dias. He had been driven from his homeland, essentially exiled, but having served as a general, he was clearly competent.
Daskar wanted Dias as his subordinate, but given his involvement in this incident, appointing him wouldn't be simple—and above all, Dias himself had no desire for such a thing.
(He lost his right arm, so he won't be able to fight on the front lines, but he can still command troops.)
Daskar considered how he might bring Dias under his banner.
"Anyway, you all did well. Lady Elena, I must sincerely apologize for involving you in such a disturbance right after you only just arrived yesterday."
"No, please don't concern yourself. I hadn't expected things to turn out like this either, but being able to act alongside Rei was by no means a bad experience."
"It's a relief to hear you say that. ...So, Lady Elena, how long do you plan to stay in Gilm? Of course, as far as I'm concerned, you're welcome to stay as long as you like."
Elena, as the symbol of the Noble's Faction, staying in Gilm for an extended period was by no means a bad thing for Daskar as the central figure of the Neutral Faction.
But in response to Daskar's words, Elena opened her mouth with a slightly apologetic expression.
"I'm afraid I must return before summer arrives. Regrettably, it won't be a long stay."
"...No, I think staying until summer is more than enough."
When Daskar had said "long," he had been thinking in terms of weeks—ideally about a month. But what came out of Elena's mouth was the word "summer." At this, Daskar completely forgot his internal deliberations about how to persuade Dias and reflexively interjected in his natural speech pattern.
"Well, all of this is thanks to the fact that friendly forces toward the Kingdom of Mireana have emerged within the Bestia Empire. Our stance of remaining vigilant toward the Bestia Empire hasn't changed, but it's still been considerably easier than last year."
"Oh my, then you could thank me, couldn't you? Let's see... as thanks, how about letting me spend some hot time alone with Rei?"
As Vihera said this while casting a sidelong glance at Rei, it wasn't Elena but Ara whose cheek twitched. Since Elena said nothing, Ara took no action, but she had been ready to act first if Elena made any move.
However... Ara was completely caught off guard by the words that next came from Elena's mouth.
"Hmm, I see. Then you should enjoy your hot time to the fullest tomorrow or so."
"...Eh? Lady Elena!?"
She hadn't expected Elena to permit it so readily. A startled cry escaped Ara's mouth.
"Hehe, what's wrong, Ara? Did something seem strange to you?"
"No, I mean... um, is... is that really okay?"
Perhaps having calmed down somewhat during the exchange, Ara timidly glanced at Elena.
What she found there was Elena's beautiful smile.
"Ara, aren't you misunderstanding something?"
"Misunderstanding...?"
"Yes. What do you think the hot time Vihera was referring to means?"
"When you say what kind... well..."
At Elena's words, Ara quietly averted her gaze. And the person her gaze landed on was Vihera, who had spoken of "hot time." Her radiant smile made it seem as though it was exactly what Ara had imagined.
"Oh my, what's wrong? I don't know what you were imagining, but I'm sure it's not too far off?"
"Eh!?"
Ara let out another surprised cry, but eventually, perhaps feeling sorry for her, Elena let out a small sigh before speaking.
"Vihera, that's enough. ...Ara, the Vihera over there is what you'd call a battle maniac. In other words, what hot time means... you understand without me saying, don't you?"
Ara muttered "battle maniac" under her breath, finally understanding that she had been teased.